Nonrefillable bottle



3 1958 J. SCIHEIMINGER, J 2,835,411

NONREFILLABLE BOTTLE Filed Dec. 31, 1956 INVENTOR. Jog n Scfiem/ngef, Jr.

States This invention relates to nonrefillable bottles, and more particularly to a bottle closure device permitting the outflow of liquid and inflow of air when the bottle is inverted but preventing the refilling of the bottle with a substituted liquid.

It is a general object of this invention to provide an improved, inexpensive, simple, nonrefillable bottle closure which is adapted to fabrication of the principal elements by straightforward plastic molding techniques.

A troublesome problem in the maintenance of reputation for quality of bottled liquors is the refilling of the distinctive labeled bottles in which standard brand premium and high-quality liquors are originally packaged with less expensive liquors. The cheap, low-quality liquor, which may be illicitly produced liquor, may then be passed off for the standard brand. An object of this invention, accordingly, is to provide a bottle closure which is particuiarly adapted to the dispensing of liquor from a bottle, which is sufliciently inexpensive to permit its use on bottles of liquors without appreciably adding to the cost thereof, and which will make substantially impossible the introduction of a substitute liquor into the bottle after the original liquor has been dispensed.

A problem which has made certain prior art valve type non-refillable bottle devices unsatisfactory in practice has been the slow pouring rate and the tendency of the device to delay the initial flow of liquid when the bottle is inverted or tipped into pouring position. A further object of this invention, therefore, is to provide a device of this character wherein the liquid starts to fiow immediately at a desired rate and continues to flow at this rate so long as the bottle is held in pouring position.

The novel features which are believed to be character istic of this invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, 'may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a sectionalized view of a device in accord with this invention shown with the bottle in upright position;

Fig. 2 is a similar view taken with the bottle in tilted pouring position;

Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing details of the individual elements embodied in the device, portions of the spout element being broken away; and

Fig. 4 is a partially sectionalized view of a portion of the device showing details of the means for locking the device in the neck of the bottle.

In Fig. 1, the plug or body portion 1 is accommodated within the neck 2 of bottle 3, being locked therein by means of a spring clip 4 as later described. A top closure or upper housing member 5 is applied to the plug and permanently sealed or bonded thereto so as to become integral therewith. The plug and upper housing mem- 2,835,41 I Patented May 20, 1958 her are each preferably formed of synthetic resin or plastic material, and a suitable bond may be formed between these elements by an adhesive or by heat sealing. The bond should be such as to hold with sufficient tenacity as to require breakage of theupper housing member to accomplish separation of the elements.

The upper housing member 5 comprises a general flat circular upper end 6 and a downwardly extending or depending hollow cylindrical skirt 7 peripherally joined thereto. A plurality of downwardly extending placement lugs 8 are fixed to the upper end portion 6 of the upper housing serving to prevent or limit upward movement of a dome-shaped ceramic caging and instrument deflecting member 9. Formed preferably centrally or substantially centrally of upper end portion 6 is an upstanding holiow neck 10 opening into the chamber 11 of the upper'housing and receiving a curved tubular metal pouring spout 12. A flap valve dust cap 13 is provided at the upper end of the spout.

A ball 14, of glass or of other non-corrosive material having substantial weight, and having, for example, a specific gravity of at least 2 or 3, underlies the domeshaped caging element 9 and, with the bottle upright, rests upon a polyethylene valve member 15. The valve member is shaped in the form of a short cylinder and seats upon an annular upstanding valve seat portion 16 formedaround a flow aperture 17 in the lower end wall 18 of plug or body 1. Inwardly extending lugs 19 are fixed to the plug and are proportioned to retain valve member 15 in alignment with seat 16.

An upper rim 20 of plug ll surrounds the downwardly extending scallops 21 which border the caging element 9 maintaining the element in alignment, while the element rests on its scallops on a shoulder 22 at the upper end of the plug which extends inwardly of the skirt 7 of the upper housing member.

As seen in the drawing, an upper outer surface area 23 of the plug 1 extends from the bottle neck to rim 20. This area is covered or enclosed by and sealed to skirt 7 of the upper housing member. The plug body, within this area, is channelled or grooved to form an annular air chamber 24 which is completely closed except for a restricted air inlet passage 25, formed through the upper housing member and communicating between the external atmosphere and the interior of the air chamber, and a larger air outlet passage 26 extending through the plug body and through the lower wall 18 and extended further into the bottle beyond the lower wall 18 by a tubular extension 27 formed as a part of the plug.

When the bottle is tilted or inverted into a pouring position as shown in Fig. 2, the air outlet passage 26 has its outlet end 28 disposed at a greater altitude than the flow aperture 17 of the bottom wall 18 of the plug body. The air chamber 24 contains a supply of air which may pass through the relatively large air passage 26 immediately in considerable volume to break any vacuum within the bottle which might cause delay in opening of valve 15 and, accordingly, the flow of liquid starts immediately upon tilting of'the bottle into pouring position.

Since end 28 of the air outlet passage is disposed by the proportions of extension 27 in a position to be at a higher level than the levels of valve 15 and of flow opening 17 I in any tilted position of the bottle in which the valvev will open, whether it be in the proper pouring position shown in Fig. 2, with spout 12 curved downwardly, or

in a less desired position such as would be assumed it, the bottle were tilted to the left from its Fig. 1 position, the liquid will always flow through the valve and air will enter through the passage 26 rather than the reverse.

As shown in Fig. 2, the ball 14 has rolled or fallen forwardly and upwardly and is engaged in the approxi- 3. mate center of the cavity or dome-shaped .interior 29 of caging element 9. The cagim element is resting against the spacing lugs 8 and the valve 15 has moved away from its seat 16. Fluid is now flowing in the direction of arrows 30 through the opening 17, around the valve member 15, between the ribs or lug 19 and thence around and between the scallops 21 and finally into neck and spout 12, and at the same time air is entering and flowing in the direction of arrows 31 in through restricted vent opening 25 into chamber 24 and through passage 26 into the bottle at end 28 of the air passage 26. The rate of flow of liquid through spout 12 is limited or controlled by the size of vent opening 25, which may be of the order of one thirty-second of an inch.

If the bottle is rotated slightly counterclockwise from the tilted position shown in Fig. 2, that is, if it is moved slightly back toward upright position, ball 14 will roll toward the left, forcing valve back up into engagement with its seat 16, thereby stopping further flow of liquid through opening 17.

The several components of the device, each of which may be separately fabricated for assembly into the complete device, are seen in Fig. 3 to comprise a spout 12 inserta'ble snugly into the throat 10 of the upper housing member 5, which includes an upper end portion 6 and 11 depending skirt portion 7. Small vent opening is provided in the skirt portion. The ceramic caging member 9 includes scallops 21. 14 is the spherical glass ball and 15 is the short cylindrical floatable valve member formed of polyethylene resin. Plug 1 has an upper surface portion indicated by the bracket 23 which is arranged for covering by and sealing to socket 7, and which is grooved to form the air chamber 24. Internal guide ribs 19 are preferably integrally molded with the plug member and the relatively large air passage 26 is seen to open into chamber 24 and, as described, extends through extension 27. Inwardly extending shoulder 22 is arranged to support member 9 on its scallops 21 and rim 20 surrounds the scallops to retain member 9 in alignment.

Outwardly projecting ears 33 and 34 are arranged on opposite sides of the plug member for engagement with the peripheral shoulder 32 formed within the bottle neck and, as seen in Fig. 4, the shoulders 33 and 34 constitute upper portions of spring clip 4. The clip may be formed of spring wire bent into generally U-shape. As so formed, the clip includes a horizontal base portion 35 extending across the plug below the bottom wall 18 thereof, and it further includes a pair of similarly arranged opposite upstanding leg portions 36 and 37. The shoulder 33 is formed bya sharp inward bend and provides an inwardly projecting tip 38 engaging in a small circular socket 39 of the plug body. With the spring clip arranged as shown in Fig. 4, upward movement of the clip with respectto the bottle neck 2 is prevented by engagement of the shoulders 33 and 34 with the annular shoulder 32 of the bottle neck. Upward movement of the plug 1 with respect to the clip is prevented by the lodgment of inwardly extending tip 38 in the socket 39, and by an identical corresponding arrangement at the upper end of leg 37. The clip and bottle neck shoulder 32 are proportioned and arranged to hold the plug in position to dispose skirt 7 down against the bottle neck, whereby insertion of an instrument to release the clip is prevented. A shallow channel 40 is provided to receive leg 36 of the clip into the body of the plug during insertion of the plug into the bottle neck, it being understood that the legs 36 and 37 of the clip are deflected inwardly during such insertion of the plug. The socket 39, for similar reasons, is made sufliciently deep to permit the tip 38 to slide inwardly during insertion of the plug, and then to adjust slightly outwardly as the shoulder 33 springs outwardly to engage bottle shoulder 32. The device is thus securely and non-removably locked in the bottle neck by clip 4.

Valve 15, being of polyethylene with a specific gravity of less than 1, if a vacuum is created in the bottle in an attempt to suck substitute liquid into the bottle, the valve 15 floats in the liquid up against its seat, sealing the opening. The insertion of any sort of tool in an attempt mechanically to hold valve 15 away from its seat is made substantially impossible by the ceramic dome and ball interposed between the neck 10 and the valve member. Furthermore, the opening 25 is so small that any attempt to fill the bottle with liquid therethrough would be exr cl difficult and time consuming. Accordingly, there is provided a closure locked permanently in place in the bottle through which liquor may be freely poured at the desired rate without any hesitation in the flow as pouring position is assumed, the closure being simple in construction, and formed of easily fabricated elements, being compact, taking up little or no more room inside or outside of the bottle than an ordinary cork, and serving as an effective refillprevention closure.

While only a certain preferred embodiment of this invention has been shown and described by way of illustration, many modifications will occur to those skilled in the art and it is, therefore, desired that it be understood that it is intended in the appended claims to cover all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

What is claimed as new and what it is desired to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An unrefillable bottle closure comprising a hollow cylindrical plug adapted to be inserted into the neck of a bottle, said plug having an open top and a lower end wall with a substantially centrally located aperture, an upturned rim portion of said end wall surrounding said aperture and forming a valve seat within said plug, a disc-shaped valve member covering said aperture and resting on said seat, a plurality of ribs on the interior of said plug extending inwardly and maintaining said valve member centered over said valve seat, said valve member having a specific gravity of less than one, a heavy ball disposed above said valve member and resting thereon, a hollow dome-shaped ball-retaining cap disposed above said ball and having a rim portion outwardly of said ball, said rim portion being scalloped to form a plurality of downwardly extending legs, said plug comprising an annular, inwardly extending top shoulder portion and said legs resting on said shoulder portion, a hollow upper housing member comprising a circular top portion and a downwardly extending skirt portion attached peripherally to said circular portion, said skirt extending downwardly along and covering an area of the outer cylindrical surface of said plug and terminating above said lower end I wall, said plug having an annular air storage chamber formed therein open at said surface area and closed by said skirt portion, said plug having an air passage formed therein opening at one end into said chamber, an extension tube portion extending from said lower end wall of said plug and having an internal passage opening therefrom spacedly from said lower wall, said internal passage connecting with said air passage, said skirt portion being joined to said plug and having a vent opening therethrough communicating with said chamber and opening outwardly of said cover member at a point above the lower terminal edge of said skirt, said air vent being several times smaller than said air passage and extension passage, a pour spout communicating through an opening in said circular top portion disposed substantially alignedly above said cap, said lower terminal edge of said skirt comprising an outwardly extending shoulder adapted and arranged to engage the upper edge of the bottle neck and thereby to limit the distance of insertion of said plug into said neck, and a spring lock member engaging the portion of said plug below said skirt and engageable with the inside of the neck of the bottle upon such insertion.

2. A non-refillable bottle closure device comprising a hollow cylindrical plug having a lower portion adapted for insertion into the neck of the bottle and having out- \vardly urged spring shoulders for locking engagement inside said bottle neck, a lower wall for said plug having a central aperture, an upwardly extending valve seat rim surrounding said aperture, a movable polyethylene cylindrical valve member having a flat lower end resting on said rim, inwardly extending guide ribs in said plug surrounding the cylindrical side walls of said valve member, a ball resting on said valve member, a dome-shaped caging member above said ball having downwardly extending peripherally disposed scallops, an inwardly extending shoulder on said plug underlying said scallopsand supporting said caging' member, said plug having an upper outer surface portion and said portion being grooved to form an annular air supply chamber, an upper housing member comprising a centrally apertured circular top portion and a downwardly extending, hollow cylindrical skirt peripherally attached to said top portion, said skirt fitting about and sealed to said upper outer surface portion of said plug and closing said chamber,

movement limiting ribs for said caging member attached under said top portion defining an upper limit of travel for said caging member spaced from said aperture of said top portion, said skirt having a liquid-flow-rate-limiting restricted air inlet aperture extending laterally therethrough and communicating between said air chamber and the external atmosphere, an extension on said plug extending from said bottom wall adjacent a side edge of the plug in a direction into the bottle and terminating spacedly inwardly of said bottle from said bottom wall, said plug and extension having a continuous air passage therethrough opening at one end into said air chamber and at the other end into said bottle at said termination of said extension, an elongated pouring spout attached to said top port-ion and extending upwardly therefrom, and a flap valve dust cover at the upper end of said spout.

No references cited. 

